Inner sole



F. AYERS INNERSOLE 2. SheetsSheet 1 Filed March 24, 1945 Patented Oct. 30, 1945 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE INNER SOLE Fred L. Ayers, Watertown, Mass.

Application March 24, 1943, Serial No. 480,320

3 Claims.

proposed to stiffen such a strip by placing a core or insertion between the sides of the fold and extending outwardly from the face of the blank. This construction provides the desirable body and stiffness to the stitching rib. When such a construction is employed with a relatively thin innersole blank, however, there is sufficient of this stiff rib left after the inseam trimming operation to produce the effect of a ridge on the top face of the innersole which is not only unsightly but also may cause discomfort to the wearer of the shoe.

An object of the present invention is to provide a stitching rib which will stand up properly to the stitching or fastener inserting machine guiding means to insure a proper placing of the stitches or other fastenings, but which after the inseam trimming operation will leave no undesirable stiff rib. This is accomplished in accordance with the present invention by providing a thickenedor stiffened free edge portion for the rib. This may be done. by reinforcing the outer portion only of the folded fabric rib as with a filler element, so that after this edge portion has served its purpose in aiding in correct placing of the stitches or other fastenings, this portion of the rib containing the stiffening or reinforcement is completely removed during the inseam trimming operation, leaving the innersole in condition as though no reinforcement had been used but with the stitches or other fastenings properly positioned. In some cases the fabric portion of the rib may be omitted and a cord, or the like, may be directly secured to the innersole blank, at least the marginal portion of this cord being removed in the trimming operation.

Further objects and advantages will appear from a description of certain embodiments of the invention shown in the accompanying drawings in which I Figure 1 is an inverted perspective view of an innersole constructed in accordance with the present invention.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary perspective View showing the components of which the stitching rib is formed.

Figure 3 is a detail sectional view on. the line 3-3 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 3, but showing a modification.

Figures 5, 6 and '7 are sectional details showing successive operations in the making of a welt shoe embodying the innersole of this invention.

Figure 8 is a view similar to Figure 5, but showing a shoe employing no welt.

Figure 9 is a fragmentary perspective view showing portions of a tape applying machine for forming up a stitching rib from the parts shown in Figure 2 and sticking such rib to an innersole blank.

Figure 10 is a top plan of parts shown in Figure 9, certain other parts being omitted for the sake of clarity.

Figures 11 and 12 are detail sectional views of the machine on lines Hll and l2-l2, respectively, of Figure 10.

Figure 13 is a view similar to Figure 1, but showing a modified construction.

Figure 14 is a fragmentary view of the stitching rib material which is to be applied to an innersole blank to form the structure shown in Figure 13.

Figures 1411 and 141) are fragmentary perspective views of still another form of stitching rib.

Figure 15 is a detail sectional view on line l5-l5 of Figure 13.

Figures 16 and 17 are detail sectional views similar to Figures 5 and 6, respectively, but showing the innersole illustrated in Figure 13.

Figures 18 and 19 are bottom plan and side elevational views, respectively, of a guide for presenting the rib of Figure 16 to the innersole blank for attachment to such blank.

Figures 20 and 21 are detail sectional views on lines 2l l20 and 21-21, respectively, of Figure 19.

As shown best in Figure 1, the innersole comprises a blank I to which is secured a stitch receiving rib 2. This rib extends at least about the forepart of the innersole but may be extended into the shank as shown, or it may be extended around the heel end, the extent of this rib depending upon the manner in which it is desired to last the shank and heel seat portions of the shoe. As shown, the rib 2 isformed of a strip of fabric or tape 3 folded together at a portion intermediate its width to produce a double layer at 4, terminating in oppositely directed side flanges 5 and 6. These flanges 5 and 6 are secured in any suitable way to the face of a blank I. For example, as shown in Figure 3, these flanges are cemented to this face, while in Figure 15 the flanges are secured by lines -..of stitching, and of course if desired, both cementing and stitching may be employed.

Lying in the fold between the layers 4 i a reinforcing element IE1. As shown this is circular in cross section but it may be any shape desired and it, may well be formed as a paper or other cheap cord. This produces an outer marginal or beadportion of the stitch receiving rib, bulbous in cross section, which acts to stiffen the rib and is" spaced from the face of the innersole by a thin neck portion formed by the double layer 4.

This rib may be formed up progressively and then presented to the blank by means such as is shown in Figures 9 to 12, Referring to these figures, a guide member I5 is shown, comprising a block [6 and a cover plate l'l secured to its upper face as by the screws l4. At the entering end of the rib material the block I6 is provided with an arcuate depression formed by tion of the shoe, as shown in Figure 1.

from th innersole surface as far as is permitted by the fold in the tape. If desired, however, stitching may be placed at 32 through the double layer 4 to retain the filler in the desired position (see Figure 13 to 16-, inclusive), or through the filler and strip as shown at 33 in Figures 14a and 14b.

In Figures 3, 4 and 5, the stitch receiving rib is positioned somewhat close to the outer margin of the blank, although as is usual, it may be spaced further from the edg in the shank por- This ' arrangement is particularly suitable for welt rib.

shoes, the welt and upper materials, including the outer 35 and the lining 36, being secured as by the inseam stitching 31 to the stitch receiving It will be noted that the inseam stitches pass through the rib between the reinforced a. Wall portion i8 which is bridged over'at the top by the cover plate ll, as shown best in Figure 11. his wall portion [8 gradually comes together to form a narrowed passage [9 (see Figure 12) terminating in outwardly extended channels '25 and 2! so that the strip of tape,.preferably provided with a pressure sensitive adhesive on its inner face, which is firstlaterally curved to conform to the wall member [8, is progressively bent up until it forms the double walls 4 and the outwardly extended flanges 5 and 6 of general T form. Opposite to the flanges 5 and 6, the .bloek i6 is provided with vertical slots 22 and 23 within which may ride pusher rods 25 and a pair of feeding pins 25, which may form pertions of a tape applying mechanism of the well known Puritan type. The innersole blank I may be held down against the top face of the block it and a beveled end portion 25 of the cover plate 11 by a suitable presser foot 21. By operating the feeders in four-motion feed relation, as is well known, the pins 26 engaging in the fabric or tap strip, feed this tape strip forwardly. With it is also fed the filler H! which is presented to the top face of the tape 3 through a bore 30 of a dividing fin 3! projecting downwardly from the cover plate I! and extending suff ciently far into the guide block to properly direct the filler- 15 into position so that it lies closely within the fold of the tape at the extremity of the stern of the T formation and spaced from the flanges 5 and 6 and thus from the adiacent face of the blank l. If desired, the folding and feeding mechanism may be a portion of a multiple needle sewing machine which places the lines of stitching as, shown in Figure 15, or

where the tape i pre-coated as with pressure sensitive cement, its flanges 5 and 6 need only be pressed into contact with the face of the blank, which also may be pre-treated with cement, in order to secure the parts together.

When a pre-cement coated tape is employed, the action of the folding mechanism, comprising the block 15 and its cover plate H, insures the positioning of the filler strip in the extreme edge ofthe folded tape, but it may be found quite unnecessary to provide any particular means for insuring that it remain in this position, if the tape is not pre-cement coated, as the worl; guiding and feeding mechanism of the insew a hi e r a ew n m in Q other fastener settingmachine such as a stapling machine, all tend to force the filler away bulbous edge portion and the top face of the innersole. The innersole itself may be overlaid with a, fabric reinforcing layer 49, which preferably is brought up to substantially the top of the head, or if the tape employed is Wide so as to form a wide inner flange 6, as shown in Figure 4, such a reinforcing fabric layer may not be required. Whichever construction is employed, however, during the inseam trimming operation the welt, upper material margins and the rib, are all trimmed off, that portion of the rib being trimmed off, includi g the stiffened or bulbous portion at its margin. This line of trimming is shown in Figure 6. This leaves only the relatively soft unreinforced portion of the innersole rib which is compressed flat injthe finished shoe, as shown in Figure 7, so that th innersole rib presents no stiff and hard ridge which may cause a projecting ridge on the top face of the inner sole where it is unsightly and may be uncomfortable to the wearer.

Where no welt is desired, it isusually desirable to position the rib somewhat further spaced inwardly from the margin of the innersole, as shown in Figure 8, whereupon the upper materials may be pulled over the last and their margins secured to the innersole rib as illustrated in Figure 8 without a welt, after which the upper margins and the reinforced or bulbous portion of the stitch-receiving rib are trimmed off in the manner shown in Figure 6. Whether or not a welt is used no stiff portion of the innersole rib is left, and n0 bottom filler is usually necessary, as shown in Figure '7 the outer sole'being indicated at 45.

Where the rib is stitched as at 32 to hold the reinforcement ID in position, as shown in Figures 13 to 17', inclusive, this stitching operation will ordinarily be done before the rib is fed to the innersole blank, the stitched rib being shown in Figure 14. The guide 50 by which this prestitched rib is presented to the blank has only to spread the margins of the fabric strip to form the flanges 5 and 6, and as when the stitching 32 is used, the fabric will commonly be free from any cement coating, means such as rows of stitching 5| may be employed to secure the rib to the innersole blank. The guide 55 which directs the rib to the blank and to the two needle sewing machine may, therefore, have a slot 52 51 slotted at 58 to receive the reinforced or bead portion of the strip acts to present the strip correctly to the guide. v

When such an innersole is employed, the inseam stitching 31, or other inseam fastenings, passes through the rib beneath the stitching 32, as shown in Figure 16, and the inseam trimming operation removes the reinforcment I and the fabricof the rib along a line beneath the stitching 32, as shown in Figure 17.

In some cases it may be found undesirable to stitch the two layers of fabric of the inseam rib together, as where the stitching holes would unduly weaken the rib adjacent to the inseam securement. This may be avoided, while maintaining the filler in proper position, by stitching or otherwise securing the filler strip l0 directly to the fabric strip or fabric tape 3, as at 33, as shown in Figures 14a and 14b. The filler strip may be secured while the fabric strip or tape is fiat, as shown in Figure 14a, after which the sides of the strip may be brought toward each Other, as shown in- Figure 14b, and presented within the slot 58 of the holder arm 56 and then to the guide 50, for further forming, and presentation for securement to the sole blank, as hereinbefore described.

From the foregoing description of certain embodiments of this invention, it should be evident to those skilled in the art that various modifications and changes might be made without departing from the spirit or scope of this invention.

I claim:

1. An innersole having a stitch receiving rib comprising a layer of fabric folded on itself intermediate to its side edges to form a double layer rib intermediate to side flanges, which side flanges are secured to one face of said innersole, and a, reinforcing element lying in the fold of said double layer and spaced from said face by a thin neck formed by said double layer of fabric.

2. An innersole having a stitch-receiving rib, comprising a soft flexible layer folded on itself intermediate to its side edges to form a double layer rib intermediate to side flanges, which side flanges are secured to one face of said innersole, and a reinforcing element lying in the fold of said double layer and secured thereto by a line of stitches passed through said element and layer only.

3. An innersole having a stitch-receiving rib, comprising a layer of fabric folded on itself intermediate to its side edges to form a double layer rib intermediate to side flanges, which side flanges are secured to one face of said innersole. and a reinforcing element lying in the fold oi said double fabric layer, said fabric layers being secured together beneath said element by a line of stitching.

FRED L. AYERS. 

